For Jim O'Brien, fishing always has been a family activity.

O'Brien, a Waukesha County fishing guide and tournament angler, said some of his favorite memories were the times he went fishing with his father and grandfather as a youngster growing up in Black River Falls. And those great times continue to this day when he goes out on the lake with his two sons.

"He instilled the love of fishing for us at a young age," said his son Chris. "I started going to tournaments with him when I was 12 years old. Sometimes we would go out and fish for walleye all night."

And Chris' older brother, Jimmy, got the thrill of his life when he and his father finished second in a major walleye fishing tournament in 1999.